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withdrawal symptoms? And then the management said, you are 

 not allowed to do this work? 



Mr. Mele. Not specifically in that way. Our plan was with these 

 data to pursue the role of tolerance and other aspects of nicotine 

 use. To see how tolerance would influence self-administration, to 

 see how tolerance would influence physical dependence. We weren't 

 able to pursue those studies as a result of this study. 



Mr. Wyden. But the management said that you could not pursue 

 that additional work? 



Mr. Mele. I don't recall specifically talking to them about those 

 specific studies, but just tolerance in general was something — was 

 not something they wanted pursued. 



Mr. Wyden. Dr. Mele, do you know Dr. Kathy Ellis? 



Mr. Mele. Yes. 



Mr. Wyden. Now, Dr. Ellis testified about the tolerance issue at 

 the hearing on April 14th, when she appeared with the CEO of 

 Philip Morris, Mr. Campbell. Now, let me read you what she said 

 to our subcommittee then. 



She said, and I quote, "The strict pharmacological definition of 

 addiction involves three different criteria: they are intoxication, 

 physical dependence, and tolerance. And to my knowledge, there is 

 no evidence that nicotine or cigarette smoking plays in any of these 

 definitions." So it seems to me what Dr. Ellis did was, in effect, 

 deny the very work that you did at Philip Morris. 



Mr. Mele. I don't know what access she had back then to our 

 work. I would assume currently, in her current position, she would 

 have been aware of it. So, yes, she was not recognizing that, nor 

 recognizing a large body of literature on nicotine tolerance. 



Mr. Wyden. Ajnd she was a colleague of yours at the Richmond 

 research center, isn't that correct? 



Mr. Mele. Correct. 



Mr. Wyden. Mr. Chairman, again, I think what we have here is 

 another example of a serious misstatement by the Philip Morris 

 Company, contrary to the findings of Dr. Mele's report. Dr. Mele, 

 of course, has indicated that he was a colleague of Dr. Ellis' at the 

 Richmond research center. 



What Dr. Ellis said to the subcommittee is that Philip Morris has 

 no evidence that nicotine causes tolerance. So I would hope that be- 

 fore too long we ask for further information on this matter, because 

 it appears to me to be yet another serious misstatement by Philip 

 Morris. 



Mr. Mele. Congressman, I would just like to add, and clarify 

 that. Kathy Ellis did not work in our laboratory, she had her own 

 laboratory, but we were part of the same division. 



Mr. Wyden. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 



Mr. Waxman. Would she have had access to your work? 



Mr. Mele. In the beginning, I don't know. I don't think so be- 

 cause it was kept very secret. Although at one point, once we were 

 allowed to present our data to the division and to the rest of the 

 research center, she would have been familiar with it. 



Mr. Waxman. OK. Thank you. 



Mr. Wyden. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 



Mr. Waxman. Thank you, Mr. Wyden. Mr. Kreidler? 



